The Department of Energy has unveiled a new effort initiated by recent executive orders by President Trump to “dramatically accelerate development timelines for large-scale transmission and generation projects.” The DOE explains:
On July 7, 2025, DOE released the Report on Evaluating U.S. Grid Reliability and Security fulfilling Section 3(b) of President Trump’s Executive Order, Strengthening the Reliability and Security of the United States Electrical Grid. The report established a uniform methodology to identify at-risk regions and guide federal reliability interventions. DOE warned that, absent new firm capacity and continued retirement of reliable generation, blackout frequency could increase by up to 100 times by 2030.
On September 18, 2025, the Office of Electricity launched the Speed to Power initiative: a federal effort to dramatically accelerate development timelines for large-scale transmission and generation projects. The initiative aims to ensure sufficient power to support American competitiveness in artificial intelligence while meeting rising demand for affordable, reliable and secure energy.
As a first step, DOE issued a Request for Information (RFI) in Fall 2025 to solicit input on large-scale transmission and generation projects capable of rapid deployment and interconnection. DOE sought information on near-term investment opportunities, project readiness, load growth expectations, and infrastructure bottlenecks that federal authorities and funding programs could address to rapidly expand grid capacity. The responses received have been reviewed and are informing DOE actions such as the funding opportunity described below.
On March 12, 2026, the DOE’s Office of Electricity announced an approximate $1.9 billion to catalyze electricity infrastructure investments through the Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades (SPARK) funding opportunity. DOE will prioritize projects that can be implemented quickly to deliver durable physical upgrades and dynamic operation gains that together increase the value, performance, security, resilience, affordability, and reliability of the nation’s electric grid.
Action Line: Accelerating the development of new power on America’s grid is necessary to provide citizens with the regular, reliable power they are accustomed to, and to fill new demand from data centers, electric vehicles, and more. Click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.
